Pocket Neighborhood Close-Up | Lower Bienveneda

By FRANCES SHARPE | Editor-in-Chief

Real estate agents have called it “one of the most delightful streets” and “one of the prettiest streets” in Pacific Palisades and promote its “canopy of Sycamore trees” and “tree-lined canyon setting.”

The residents of Lower Bienveneda couldn’t agree more with those descriptions.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, more than a dozen neighbors gathered in the front yard of Chris van Scoyk’s house to talk to the Palisadian-Post about what makes their pocket neighborhood so special.

The street, which lies south of Sunset Boulevard in between Las Casas Avenue and Las Lomas Avenue, ends in a rare cul-de-sac with ocean views.

Lower Bienveneda is nestled along Las Pulgas Canyon between the Lower Las Casas and El Medio Bluffs neighborhoods, “but don’t lump us with the El Medio Bluffs,” Van Scoyk said. “We are Lower Bienveneda!”

A REAL NEIGHBORHOOD

Pride in the neighborhood was palpable as the residents reminisced about what attracted them to the street.

Bill and Pam Kendall, who have lived on the street longer than anybody else—57 years—were looking to move from their home in Rustic Canyon when their realtor pointed them to a home on Lower Bienveneda.

“We came down and saw the trees and the sidewalks, and I said I don’t care what the house is like, I love the street,” said Pam, who grew up on Evans Road.

Van Scoyk, who originally bought his home in 1975 then moved away and returned six years ago, said, “I just loved the street instantly because of the trees.”

Jon and Loni Calhoun found their forever home on Lower Bienveneda in 1973.

“We were looking for the cheapest house in the Palisades and gave our realtor our budget and said ‘trees,’” Jon said.

Loni added, “This might have been the first house we went into. We went in and sat in the living room and looked out the window and said, ‘This is pretty perfect.’”

When they moved in, most of the families on the street had young kids. Then the kids grew up and moved away leaving a number of empty nesters like the Calhouns and Kendalls.

In recent years, there has been a resurgence of young families moving in.

“There have been about seven houses sold in three years and a new crop of young couples with babies have moved in,” said Maria Bane, who settled into her home in 1970.

Count Matt and Emily Walker, who moved in about five years ago, as one of those families.

For them, the allure of the street wasn’t only the trees; it was the cul de sac. “We have four kids and to find a house at the end of a one-way street in a cul de sac and it’s tree-lined and beautiful—that’s unheard of in Los Angeles,” Emily said.

The couple added they love the quirkiness of their home, which boasts a lighthouse on top and a tree in the driveway.

Other new neighbors include Liuba Petkova and Gabriel Ettinger, 5½ months; Donnie and Marie Carson and their baby daughter Abigail; James and Dina Bierman and Aiden (10 months); and newcomers Ed and Laura Gowling.

Laura grew up on Upper Bienveneda and then lived in New York for 10 years, so moving back to Lower Bienveneda “felt like coming home,” she said.

Many of the newer residents said they received warm welcomes from the longtime residents when they moved in.

“People welcomed us to the neighborhood and invited us to the block party,” said Dina. “I think that’s where we met Chris.”

Chris has been organizing the annual Bienveneda Block Party for about six years. Some neighbors have taken to calling Chris the “Mayor of Bienveneda” but he prefers “Community Organizer.”

According to Chris, the welcome wagon has always been there.

“When I moved here in 1975, everyone came and introduced themselves,” Van Scoyk recalled. “The street lends itself to that. It’s a front-yard street so you see tons of people walking dogs, riding bikes and pushing strollers. It has a unique personality that’s very welcoming.”

PET PEEVES

As with any neighborhood, there are a few irksome issues, mainly drivers who speed up and down Bienveneda or who ignore the “No Right Turn On Red” sign at the Sunset Blvd. intersection.

There have been at least two fatalities there, according to the residents.

Another source of frustration was the condition of the road, which until recently, was filled with ruts and potholes.

“Frankly, we were appalled when they repaved Palmera Avenue [around the corner from Bienveneda] and stopped and then repaved the cul-de-sac and stopped,” said Jon. “We were waiting for our street to get repaved. We’ve been waiting for decades.”

Finally, earlier this year, it was their turn and the road is now smoothed over.

“It was long overdue,” Jon added.

As for major incidents on the street, there haven’t been many.

The residents recalled only one small house fire many years ago and relatively no crime except for a bike that was recently stolen out of Bill and Pam’s garage.

SAVING LOWER BIENVENEDA’S TREES

On Lower Bienveneda, the mature Western—sometimes known as California—Sycamore trees provide a canopy that not only provides shade from the sun but also seemingly transports you to another world far, far away from the LA metropolis and from the Sunset Blvd. gridlock in our own Village.

The trees, which are native to Southern California, were planted around the 1930s.

Lower Bienveneda and its towering Sycamore trees were threatened in the 1980s when a developer wanted to develop Las Pulgas Canyon. Developer Neil Senturia bought the 26-acre rugged coastal property in 1987 for $1.6 million and wanted to build up to 50 houses, according to a 1990 article in the LA Times.

“They wanted to make Bienveneda a through-street to PCH because he needed an outlet. To do so, he wanted to cut down all the trees on Bienveneda to widen the street,” said Jon, who joined a group of activists on the block to form Save Las Pulgas Canyon.

“We had lots of town hall meetings on the block and assigned people a variety of tasks, including publicity, collecting signatures and such,” he added.

“We raised a hullabaloo and eventually got the trees designated as ‘monument trees’ with the City of LA.”

The trees received Cultural Historic status in 1989.

“That’s amazing that you guys did that,” said Matt after listening to Jon recount the battle. “I can’t imagine the neighborhood without the trees.”

There has been one casualty on the block. About 20 years ago, a gas leak under the street affected the soil and starved the Sycamore in front of the Calhouns’ house.

The city replaced it with a small London Planetree, which also subsequently died. The sad-looking trunk still stands out front.

Today, there’s another threat to the trees—the drought.

“I’m worried about the trees,” said Bane. “At least Bill deep-waters them.”

Considering how the neighbors banded together in the 1980s to save the trees, you can bet they’ll rally together to find a way to save them now.